1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article carrying device adapted for attachment: to ambulatory aids such as crutches, walkers and wheelchairs; to backpacks such as internal and external frame packs and bookbags; to devices for easily transporting small children such as strollers and backpack child carriers; to bicycles and motorcycles where a vertical cross brace is adjacent to a horizontal cross brace; or to the belt or belt loops of pants.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various items have been used for years to assist and/or transport ambulatory patients. These items have included crutches, wheelchairs and walkers. Similarly, several items have been used to transport small children, including child strollers and backpack carriers. While meant to carry people, these devices have traditionally lacked the capability to carry other items.
Various devices have been developed over the years to solve this problem of difficulty in carrying items when ambulatory or carrying children. In particular, numerous devices have been developed to assist in carrying items when using crutches. These devices include various pouches attached to the crutch such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,483 to Smith. The Smith pouch, however, is mounted below the handle which limits easy access to the pouch by the crutch user. This location also decreases the security of the pouch as the location allows accessibility by other people.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,845 addresses the transport of paper articles in combination with crutches. However the clamping device shown therein appears to be relatively cumbersome and requires modification to the crutch proper. Such structures could interfere with the crutch assisted ambulatory movement of the user. The ""845 patent also requires significant modification to the crutch structure which will increase the cost. Such devices may not be used by one-time users who are renting crutches as permanent modifications cannot be made to such leased crutches.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,749 Perryman discloses a crutch pouch for transporting personal items, as well as documents, which is easily released from the crutch sides. As the Perryman patent uses hook and loop material to attach the pouch to the sides of the crutch, the pouch must either be provided with rigid sides, or not be over filled, to prevent the hook and loop material from separating. The use of securing means proximate the top of the pocket allows disclosed pockets to be xe2x80x9cover-stuffedxe2x80x9d, if required, without being concerned that the pouch will separate from the crutch. Additionally, the nature of the ""749 design restricts the width of the pocket which is too narrow for comfortable, easy access to articles at the bottom of the pocket. Average adult hands are too large for easy access to the pockets contents and the pocket would have to be removed and the contents, such as keys, lipsticks, etc. spilled out. The constant removal and attachment of the pocket would quickly deteriorate the adhesive holding the loop material to the crutch sides.
Similarly, several devices have been described for attachment of carrying devices to wheel chairs. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,061 Dunn discloses a box-like accessory case for mounting to the armrest of a wheel chair. The Dunn patent uses stiff material such as cardboard on the sidewalls of the box-like container to give the walls their shape and to prevent sagging. This stiffness suffers from the problem of inflexibility when small items are placed in the case as the case retains its shape and is unable to collapse. Addition of cardboard further prevents the case from being easily washable thus preventing cleaning in the face of mud, water and other contaminants that would be splashed on the case during normal use. Further means for attaching the case to the wheel chair arm rest are insufficient to prevent theft of the case from the chair should it be unattended.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,903 Wells describes an attachment for a wheel chair that is supported vertically from the rear handles of the chair. Rear-attached pouches are difficult for a wheel chair-bound person to access as they are almost totally beyond the reach of the wheel chair occupant from the seat of the wheel chair. Further, means for protecting against theft of the attachment or items contained therein is lacking and the occupant takes certain risk of theft when using the device.
Sanders, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,331 describes a combination of a device for storage of items under the arm rest of the wheel chair and padding to make the device more comfortable. Their solution against theft is to make the arm rest more comfortable by padding it so that the occupant will continuously rest his/her arm against the device(s). As persons in wheel chairs are using their arms constantly when in motion, this solution remains effective only while said persons are at rest. Theft during movement as in the common xe2x80x9cpurse snatcherxe2x80x9d is not prevented effectively by Sanders.
Several devices have been described to provide means for carrying articles while using an invalid walker. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,071 Kenner describes a carrier attachment suspended to one side of the top frame member of a walker. This device combines a rigid supporting tray-like section with a hanging pocket or pouch and is connected by suspension straps encircling the frame member of the walker. Stability is afforded through only the tray-like section and no apparent stabilizing straps are described other than those which encircle the upper frame member. This device suffers from a lack of stability and may swing back and forth while in use, impacting the user and potentially distracting him/her from obstacles. Further the device does not address theft and may be easily removed by a thief.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,618 Jones describes a caddy for attachment to a walker suspended to the walker frame member by two or more hangers or hooks. Again the caddy is a box-like, generally rigid compartment comprised of molded polyethylene, vinyl or a similar plastic. The device is easily removed by means of the attachment hangers or hooks and provides no protection against theft. Further the stability of the caddy is limited by a lack of stabilizing straps along the sides of the caddy for attachment to a vertical frame member of the walker thus the caddy may swing similarly to the problem of Kenner.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,416 Harmon describes a carrier for a walker made of washable material and attached by fastening means to the upper frame member of the walker. The flexible material is made rigid through the addition of a rigid board member removable mounted in the bottom panel of the pocket. Again, theft and stability are not addressed in the design of the carrier.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,764 Carpenter describes a foldable carrying device detachably mounted to the back of a child""s stroller of the type having both upper and lower crossmembers. Closure means of Velcro(copyright), or other hook and loop fastener systems are described to attach the device to the upper and lower crossmembers of the stroller providing stability but protection against theft is not considered.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,238 Widinski describes a carrying device for retaining articles on the handle of a mobile apparatus such as strollers. The device is limited to placement on the handle of the mobile apparatus and provides no protection against theft and no stability.
Woods, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,005 and its various divisional patents (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,511,710 and 5,513,789) describes fabric accessories for crutches and walkers. The preferred embodiment provides safety through use of reflective material and expandable/contractible pockets through use of pleats and elastic members. These devices are meant as covers for the crutch or walker and are attached first by placing the leg of the walker/crutch through an opening then sliding the device up the length of the ambulatory aid to completely enclose the aid. While security and stability are provided in the difficult placement of the accessories, they are complicated to use and do not provide the same ease of attachment and removal that is described herein.
A pocket system is disclosed which allows people to carry articles while using ambulatory aids such as crutches, wheelchairs and/or walkers. The pocket system is sufficiently versatile to be used as a carrying aid for child""s strollers, carriers for children, bicycles, canoes and backpacks of varying sizes and construction. Further the pocket system is provided with greater security and stability to prevent theft and to reduce impact on the articles contained therein and impact on the user.
In one embodiment, the pocket system consists of a front panel and a back panel secured to one another along three sides, leaving an open end. A flap may be added to the back panel to provide a closure for the open end. The pockets can have a tailored configuration or a soft pouch design. In another embodiment, the pocket has at least one side panel positioned between the front and back panels. The back panel can have a length greater than the length of the front panel and the width of the side panel to form a closure flap, which extends over the open end. To provide for expansion, the side panel and/or front panel can be gusseted. For crutches, the width of the pocket will be such that it will fit in between the vertical side rails on a standard crutch. For a walker, the width of the pocket will be such that it can fit snug or loose under the horizontal U-shaped bar that is attached at the top of commonly used walkers. For a wheel chair, the pocket width and length will be such that it can fit under the arm rest and not impact the wheel or wheel grip. However, the pocket can be attached anywhere and is not limited to the arm rest.
An additional pocket can be attached directly to the front panel of the pocket on three sides leaving one side open to hold small items, thereby allowing rapid, easy access to frequently used small items such as pens or pencils. A key ring may be added to this smaller pocket or on the pocket itself. This smaller pocket may be gusseted or pleated to provide an attractive appearance.
A stabilizing strap affixed to the pocket adjacent to the closed end has a length sufficient to secure the pocket to any available vertical cross brace either on one side or on both sides. The retaining strap preferably has a length sufficient to wrap around a vertical cross brace. Alternatively more than one retaining strap may be affixed to the pocket adjacent to the closed end and each tipped with means for attaching the straps around the crutch vertical side rails. Said means for attachment of the stabilizing straps can be Velcro(copyright), or other hook and loop fastener, metal or plastic snaps, buttons and button holes or eye hooks and ties or a combination thereof. A separate stabilizing strap tipped with means for attachment can be added to extend the pocket retaining strap to fit onto thicker vertical members, for example, the circumference of men""s or women""s pant legs, may be added so the pocket can be attached to a belt or belt loops in pants and stabilized against the thigh.
In another embodiment, the back panel has a length at least twice the length of the front panel. The back panel is folded upon itself to form a U-shape, a first leg being affixed to the front panel. An enclosing strip is secured to the crook of the U-shape to form a channel dimensioned to receive the retaining bolt used to secure the pocket to the crutch. A secondary layer is affixed to a second leg of said U-shape to form a second pocket, with access being provided to the second pocket through the second leg. Separate closure can be provided for the open end of the pocket. A retaining strap is secured to the pocket adjacent to the closed end to secure the pocket to the crutch. A document retaining strap can be incorporated which allows for long documents to be placed in the lower pocket and prevented from wobbling through use of the adjustable strap. The document retaining strap is wrapped around the sides of the crutch and secured through the use of a hook and loop material.
Where Velcro(copyright) is used as means for attachment, additional strips or large sections of Velcro(copyright), such as rectangular strips or squares, may be attached to the back panel to provide flexibility for linking the stabilizing or attaching straps. Further, where Velcro(copyright) is used as means for securing straps, the straps themselves can be tipped with a length of Velcro(copyright) or Velcro(copyright) attached to a non-fraying material that is larger than needed to provide flexibility for the users in customizing the fit of the pocket. The user may then cut the Velcro(copyright) down to fit the need.
The pocket system has at least one pocket having an open end. At least one pocket securing member is attached to the back of the pocket proximate the open end. A stabilizing strap, or straps, is affixed to the back of the pocket proximate the closed end. Generally these straps extend from opposite sides of the pocket for maximum security. One end of the securing members(s) and strap(s) can be permanently secured to the pocket, with the open end removably affixed through various means known in the art. Alternatively all of the methods of attachment of the pocket securing member(s) and stabilizing strap(s) can be removable.